Thank you for your interest in a custom wooden swimbait!  I started making these because the store bought baits just didn’t have the right action, and I wanted to customize them to have exactly the look I and action I wanted.  It’s also very cool to catch fish on a unique, one of a kind swimbait.  Making a custom bait is a very time consuming process: Each bait starts as a piece of poplar, which I cut and hand carve.  Then I test it in the water with weights to find the right buoyancy I want to achieve.  Once I find the amount of lead needed, I cut spaces into the wood to fill with lead.  I have to make sure to place them in the right areas so that it’s balanced, sits level in the water and swims correctly.  The next step is sealing the wood with polyurethane, and once dry, covering it with primer to prepare for paint.  The painting process is my favorite step because this is when it really starts to look unique. Once I’m happy with it, I seal it all in a UV resin which gives it a glossy, smooth and waterproof coating.

Being so labor intensive, I am only able to work on a couple of these at a time.  Someday I hope to start making resin baits to be able to make them faster and at a lower price.  If you are interested in a custom bait, please fill out the interest form below and let me know what you’re looking for.  I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.